Same recipe every year, according to the brewer, though ABV varies slightly.

"Anniversary Ale~ A high gravity wheat wine made with blood oranges that render an alluring dark purple hue to the color. Flavor abounds from the spice of green peppercorns and tang from blood orange zest. Aggressive dry hop additions amplify the citrus overtones and spiciness found throughout. ‘Anni’ Ale typifies the full magnitude of Short’s Brewing Company by embodying all the complexities and fulfillment necessary to pay tribute to another year of brewing. 10% ABV 63 IBU's"

Taste: strong orange flavor, comes in nice and juicy, some bitter orange come through, I believe its from the orange zest used, but it could be from hops. peppercorns come in slightly subdued but definitely there. all of this is lain over a wheat body. The juicy taste is just unbeatable. the balance is spot on and its very complex

Mouthfeel: kinda softer and lighter. actually refreshing which is weird but good for this heavy and strong of a beer. very hot on the backend too

Overall: i picked up the last one of these at the store when i had thought i missed it. and am i glad i did. this is a great beer. i wish i coulda got a whole sixpack. the tastes are spot. just delicous

More User Reviews:

I've had this out on draft, day old firkin, and out of the bottle, both fresh and up to three years old now. I absolutely love short's anniversary. It is far from the most complex wheatwine I've tasted but it is just bursting with fresh blood orange flavor that never comes off as artificial in any way. It is refreshingly tart and easy drinking for a 10% ale which makes it a dangerous drink on a summer day. I am far from a short's fanboy, infact I'm not really a big fan of them as a whole but anniversary ale is fantastic.

Big thanks to Mike for splitting this with me. Aged almost one year (2012 vintage). Pours a slightly red-tinted copper color with decent clarity and a light, off-white, wispy head that fizzles away in a short amount of time. The aroma is buckled down with a nice pungency of juicy oranges and tangerines. But not just any oranges - these are "blood" oranges.

I've never had a blood orange and I don't know exactly what they are, but if they're anything like blood diamonds, then I will not be having this beer ever again. I'm joking. But seriously, these oranges smell very fresh, ripe, and juicy. Light peppercorn on the nose mixes and fades in with the slight phenol character I'm picking up from the alcohol. It's not too strong, however - the oranges are always dominant. Light hop character, leafy and spicy, but not very "bitter" smelling.

This is another case of the taste being an exact replica of the smell in drinkable form. Oranges engulf the palate right out of the gate. For a second, they almost give a tart character - not quite puckering, but definitely borderline sour. Very fresh and vibrant as it slowly cascades into a bitter-sweetness. As this is happening, the phenol flavors come out a bit and the alcohol asserts itself - at 10% ABV, this beer is certainly no slouch.

Some other light citrus and grapefruit flavors are coupled with the oranges, but the orange definitely stands out the most. Peppercorns are barely noticeable, but can be found if you're looking. They provide a light spiciness that almost camouflages with the hop character - a mild leafy and herbal tone that adds more flavor than real bitterness. Medium-ish body, low-medium carbonation, smooth on the palate.

Another tasty beer from Shorts with another ingredient I've never tasted in real life and never would've thought to put in a beer. Nice execution with the "blood oranges" to give a very authentic and ripe flavor.

EDIT: 5/9/2013

Enjoyed a 2013 Anniversary Ale fresh. The blood oranges are a little more vibrant and assertive and the peppercorn is toned down just a touch, but it still an integral part of the brew. Hop character is also a bit more prominent. Mouth feel is better than I remember, and the juicy, sweet, and nearly tart blood orange finish is fantastic. Don't know if this is "better" fresh, or the 2013 batch was just a little more to my liking, but I've gotta bump the score. This is great stuff.

A: The color of this beer has a ruby and garnet hue, like a "sailor's warning" sunrise over North Lake Leelanau. This is truly a beautiful beer. An off white 1/2 finger head fades to leave an attractive haziness on top. Dotty lacing meanders slowly down the sides of the glass.

S: BAM! BLOOD ORANGES! Really, that is the dominant aroma. Deeper inhales reveal the green peppercorn spice complement. I smell some wheatwine characteristics, but they are pretty much overpowered by the citrus and spice. This is a unique and pleasant smell.

T: Much more complex than the smell. The blood orange taste is evident throughout the sip and speaks primarily to the broad top of my tongue. The green peppercorn spice is also omnipresent and bites at the sides and tip of my tongue. The backside of each sip is where this beer really gets wild and crazy. At roughly the same time, the alcoholic heat, full, creamy malts, and bitter hops play like a trumpet fanfare on my palate. It is amazing to me how lasting an impression the bittering hops leave on my tongue, because for most of the sip, this is a sweet and spicy beer.

M: With the sweet citrus, spicy peppercorn, hefty malts, bitter finish, and the high alcohol content, there is a lot substance to this MF. It is perhaps medium bodied, but the component parts really titillate my palate.

D: This is a really large and interesting beer which I have had a couple of times now. But, with its aggressive spiciness, high a.b.v., and dry finish, I don't think this would be a 'drink often' beer for me.

Huge thanks to Greg (gcare02) for this hand off.
Pours a orange-red color, very clear and with a generous finger of light tan head. Fades quickly w/ minimal lacing.
Extremely inviting aromas of oranges, grapefruit, and a hint of peppery spice.
Taste is much less exciting than the aroma. Heat up front distracts the overall experience, but once past the alcohol shock, the blood orange flavor is there. The peppercorns take over midway through the flavor and continues on into the finish.
The dry hopped addition is mostly lost at this point, but the zest finds its way into the aftertaste and keeps me coming back for another taste to see what else is there.
Wheat malt keeps the mouthfeel quite thin....was hoping for a bit more depth w/ the abv.
Not quite the winner I was expecting, but super glad to get to try it.

The beer pours a reddish-amber color with a white head. The aroma is heavy on the oranges and wheat. The flavor is blood oranges, wheat and alcohol. There is a little bit of tartness in the flavor, but not as much as you would get in a sour ale. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. A very good beer.

Dark orange pour, glints of red, 5/8" head, this is a very dark orange, like the kind you see after a night of partying way too hard. Aroma, mild sweetness, not the usual citrus aroma a hophead would be used to.

Taste, blood orange all over this, sweet in a natural kind of way. The sweetness is really covering up so much of the alcohol. The peppercorn presence, I was not able to perceive.

Mouthfeel is nice, because even though this was drank at the end of July, it has that kind of mouthfeel that is made for summertime. The body is relatively light and easy going, and the alcohol is nowhere to be found. Nice caramel presence as well.

Quite the enjoyable beer, glad I still have one left, the only question is, when?

Pours a bright and slightly hazy orange-red color with a one-finger slightly off-white head. The head recedes into a wispy layer on top leaving decent lacing.

Smells of sweet light malts with large amounts of bright and sweet citrus aromas, halfway between orange and grapefruit.

Tastes even more robust than it smells. Sweet and smooth light malt flavors kick things off and are joined quickly by moderately sugary citrus fruits. The citrus dries out near the end of the sip and carries through to an ending reminiscent of the aftertaste of grapefruit juice.

Mouthfeel is good. It's got a nice thickness with smooth carbonation.

Drinkability is very good. I finished my glass quickly and could easily have a few more.

Overall I was very impressed with how similar the flavor profile stayed to blood oranges. The sweetness was more robust than normal oranges and the citrus notes came through as much as any beer I've had previously. Very much worth a shot.

The color is a dark burnt orange-red in color, thick and opaque. One finger of off-white head shows good retention and manages to leave a good amount of lacing, mostly leggy with some light patching, in good quantity on the glass.
The aroma is very much to par with expectations. Lots of orange and strongly so, with the particular sweet/sour blend that distinguishes blood oranges from the usual. The peppery note is easily detectable as well. A bit of wheat forms the backing for the rest of it.
The taste follows suit. The spice from the peppercorn is distinct, with an almost earthy vegetable element along with white pepper notes, all in a good way, behind sweet orange with just a bit of sourness and a touch of rind bitterness pulling through. The wheat is in here, but a stronger backbone would pull it all together to be even better, perhaps exceptional. It's certainly good, though.
There's no doubt this is crisp, and a medium body shows some depth to it, with a good smoothness that a little more of would serve to put this one a step above. It goes slightly slick in the mouthfeel toward the finish.